Grease-gun.



W. H. PUTNAM.

GREASE GUN.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 5. I911.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

' Gamma UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. OF MADISON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOB '10 MADISON-RIP? LUBRI-GA'IOR COMPANY, 01 MADISON, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

GREASE-GUN.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Ap 16, 1918 Application fledOctober 5, 1917. Serial No. 194,945.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. Pu'rnaal,

for charging grease cups employed for the lubrication of journals andbearings, and consists in providing the gun with a head or boss, one ormore, at the discharge end, having an outlet opening, and adapted toreceive the cap member or members of a grease cup or cups; and inproviding a plurahty of cap members for each such head or boss so thateach outlet may be closed by its appropriate cap, and such cap-filledand held ready for instant removal and substitution for a like empty capfrom the journal or hearing on which it is to be used.

The invention further consists in constructing a yielding orspring-pressed wiper which bears against and removes from the annularend or edge of the cap, any grease, dirt or dust that may adherethereto, the wiper moving back as the cap is applied; and following thecap as it is removed, so that dust and grit is kept from entering thecap or cup, and soiling of the hands is prevented.

The novel construction in its preferred .form is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Fi re 1 is a longitudinal section through the body of the gun, thepiston and its rod, portion of a discharge head or boss and its cupbeing shown in full lines;

Fig. 2, an end view of the gun showing a plurality of caps applied to alikeplurality of discharge heads or bosses.

Fig. 3, a section on the line a--a of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4, a view showing a set of grease cups with cap members"corresponding to the cap members of Fig. 2, one of said cups being shownpartly in section; and

Fig. 5, a sectional view showing the yielding or spring-pressed wiper,which is also shown in Fig. 2.

In the use of grease guns as heretofore constructed, certaindifiiculties or inconveniences have been experienced, among which may benoticed that of preventing escape of the contents when not in use,through the .comes softened and fluent owing 'ture conditions. Again itis difiicult to deunsealed discharge opening, particularly when arelatively thin and fluid lubricant is employed, or when the thickerlubricant beto temperaliver to grease on s through the use of greaseguns of or inary construction, the precise quantity required to fill thecup, yet prevent overcharging the same, and it is practically impossibleto charge such cups without greatly soiling the hands and often leavinglubricant on the exterior of the cup and gun.

So, too, it is desirable to remove from the open annular end or edge ofthe cap or cup any adhering dust or grit and grease, in order to preventintroduction of grit into the cap or cup when removing and replacing it.

The construction here shown, and which will now be explained with theaid of the drawings, overcomes the difliculties and attains the endsnoted.

1 indicates a hollow cylindrical shell or body provided with end caps 2and 3, which may be screwed upon or otherwise secured to the body 1. Thecap 2 at the discharge end is provided with a head or boss 4 having adischarge opening 5, preferably concentric with thehead, said boss beingperipherally threaded or otherwise fashioned to receive a cap or cover6, or a plurality of such caps or covers. In Fig. l a single cap isshown, while in Figs. 2 and 3 a plurality of such caps is illustrated.The cap 6, or each cap if a plurality be provided, is made of the sameform and dimensions as a cap 6 of a grease cup of standard orpredetermined size, and each head or boss 4 is externally threaded orotherwise fashioned, to receive and fit the internal thread of therespective caps 6 and 6. In practice a screw thread of a suitable numberof turns is preferably emhead or boss 4, the essential oint being thatthe connecting means for t e gun and the grease cup be ahke.

The rear end-cap 3 of the grease gun is provided with a centrallyperforated nipple 7, externally threaded to receive a nut which may beprovided with projecting studs 9 as a convenient means of turmng saidnut to screw it on or off the mpple 7. 10 indicates a piston of anysuitable or usual construction, closely fitting the bore of the shell01' body 1, and provided'with an axial rod or stem 11, threaded to fitthe nut 8. This rod 11 is provided with 'a cross handle v1 2 or otherconvenient-hand-hold, for turning it or moving it longitudinally asrequired. g

The grease gun may be filled in different ways, as by retracting thepiston 10 e1ther by first detaching the nut 8 and drawmg the pistondirectly back, or by a rotation of the rod or stem 11 with the nut 8-screwed to its seat on the nipple 7, the head or boss 4 being immersedin the lubricant; or the end-cap 2 may be unscrewed and thepiston havingbeen retracted, the lubricant may be introduced into its open forwardend by a paddle or like implement, after which the cap 2 may bereplaced.

The gun having been duly supplied w1th lubricant and the cap or caps 6screwed to place with their open ends abuttingagainst the end-cap 2, andthereby determining accurately their respective positions and the.amount of space between the closed end of the cap 6 and the header boss4,-the piston 10 is advanced sufficiently to force into the cap'or caps6 a full charge of lubricant. When a grease cup'becoines empty or itssup ply is depleted, a cap 6 corresponding to the cap member6 of theempty or partially empty cup, is unscrewed from the grease.

gun, the cap 6 is unscrewed from its base 13, and the two are exchanged,the filled cup containing the precise quantity necessary to fill thespace between its closed end and the base 13 when the cap is screwed toits proper initial adjustmenton said base.

This result is insured by so proportioning the head or boss 4 of thegrease gun as to leave between it and the closed end of the cap 6, aspace exactly equal to that between the closed base of the cap 6 and itsbase 13, less a slight allowance for a small central mound of lubricantwhich stands above the top line of the base 13 of the grease cup whenthe cap member 6 is removed. By

, this provision a full supply of lubricant for each cup is insured, andan over-supply which would either prevent the proper initial adjustmentof the cup, or necessitate an I undue discharge of lubricant therefrominmaking the initial adjustment of the cap member upon its base 13, isprevented.

A vent 14 is provided, preferably in the form of a notch or groove inthe periphery of the head or boss 4:, to permit escape of air whenfilling the cap 6. I The minor details of construction, such as themanner of forming or attaching the head or boss 4 and the nipple 7, theconstruction nular edge or end of the cap 6, I may pro-' vide a wiper 15of felt or other suitable ma terial, carried by a spring arm 16,attached to the fore end of the grease gun, and thus adapted to moveback as the cap or. cup is...

screwed to place, or to follow. said cap or cup as it is unscrewed. Byreason of its resting upon the annular end surface of the cup while thelatter is rotated, the wiper .will remove all adhering matters therefromand precludethe carrying of dust, grit or the like into the .cap, where,mingling with the grease, it would be delivered to the bear 'ings orjournals to which the lubricant is supplied, and would cause seriouswear and injury. 4

Having thus described my invention, what 1. A grease gun comprising, incombina tion, a hollow cylindrical body provided at one end with a heador boss having a discharge opening; a cap applied to said head or boxandadapted to'serve as the cap member of a grease cup; and means forejecting of use as the cap member of a grease cup.

3. A grease gun provided at its discharge end with a plurality of headsor bosses each having a discharge, opening, and each adapted to receivea cap or cover capable of-use as the cap member of a grease cup.

4. A grease gun provided at its discharge end with a plurality of headsor bosses each having a discharge opening; a cap for each such head orboss adapted to be used interchangeably with the cap member of a greasecup; and means for effecting connection of the caps with their bossesand with the bases of grease cups, interchangeably.

5. A grease gun comprising a tubular body having a head or boss at oneend provided with a discharge outlet; and a cap detachably applied tosaid head or boss and adapted to serve as the cap member of a greasecup, one of said parts being provided with a vent ,to permit escape ofair when the cap is being filled with lubricant.

6.. A grease gun provided at its discharge end with a plurality of'headsor bosses each adapted to receive and fit a grease cup.

7. In combination with a grease gun havas the cap is moved into positionon the ing a discharge opening, and a cap for covgrease gun, and tofollow and maintain conermg the same, adapted to be used also as tactwith said cap as the same is removed. 10 the cap member of a grease cup,:1 wiper ar- In testimony whereof I have signed my 5 ranged to bearagainst the annular end or name to this specification.

edge of said cup, and a yielding support for said wiper, whereby it 1sadapted to recede WILLIAM H. PUTNAM.

